Forever Young
by Aurora-Borealis Coyote
Summary: After the Promised Day, after it's all supposed to be done, Edward has a familiar visitor. Alternate ending, post-series.


**This, I know, is incredibly messed up and partially confusing…in case you're confused, the "alternate ending" is that only some of the souls from Promised Day made it back and some were kept by Father and the Homunculi, and the stone Winry's soul was in was put in Envy- so now Envy and Winry are in the same body, pretty much and she haunts him in a way, and they both have completely lost their minds. Depressing, I know, but the plot idea wouldn't leave me alone (inspired from that scene where unleashed form!Envy has all the screaming souls on him. If that wouldn't drive the whole lot mad, I don't know what would). I feel for them all : (**

**Pairings: See it as, if you wish, some really messed up EdwardxWinry or EdwardxEnvy, but you could see it as neither as well.**

**Warnings: second-person account of a lost grip on reality and "your" own mind.**

The hand, moist with grease from your work, opens the door, just like it did in the old days, and your hair is long and blonde and shining in the morning air- it finally gets to see some daylight, after such a long wait- and the wide smile cracks over your face, still young as ever, you've got that forever-young thing down to a T-

Ed! It's me! you say, loud, happy, shaky- things are nowhere near where they used to be, nowhere at all- you have been, you ARE gone, so to speak-

You stand in front of the door, unhinged smile raised high in one corner, the color in your eyes showing exactly who you are.

Edward almost screams- no, his mouth widens, and he's making those choking noises you always would laugh at even when it wasn't that funny, and he's going haaahhh like he tried to laugh and got stuck, you would know- he breaths in and out faster than he should be and he points his hand at you- right, you think, that's what happened- and his eyes are wider than you ever had yours-

Get. Away. He almost shrinks back from the door, just like he did when he saw you all big and unleashed, when you had the control to do that- Winry died ten years ago! On the Promised Day. And you're not her. Get your mind back together and LEAVE me be!

Right, he would, ever since that Promised Day and things didn't go exactly as planned- some of the humans went back to their souls, others didn't, and some went inside you, inside your stone, at least that's what supposed to happen, why did Ed have to mess it all up? If he didn't, his little friend wouldn't have died, and she wouldn't be inside or outside of you and you can hear her soul with the others…

You don't do anything.

It was only a matter of time before you truly snapped… he says, still shaking, clenching his fist… listen to me, damn it! ENVY!

(LET ME OUT LET ME OUT JUST LET ME GO HOME) (HOW CAN I? JUST BE QUIET!)

I'm just trying to get my life back together. Can't you SEE that? He yells and you remember how he always got so mad, and you want to be let out so you can just tell him to calm down…

Ed…it's me… you say, and you mean it, because you have had the girl's voice in you screaming to be let out along with the rest of them for who knows how long now and WHY is it so loud, and you're not Envy and you're not Winry, no, you may as well be both- which one? Both? You haven't really known who's been thinking.

Nothing went as planned for anyone and whoever you are you're glad he can't do alchemy anymore because what would happen to you then? Nothing good, you don't like pain and you wouldn't want to have to get into another fight with him AGAIN-

Your grandma, she must be wondering where you've been- and Father must be wondering why you haven't returned when it's now only him and Pride and whoever he put Lust in nowadays, you don't remember or maybe you just don't know, it doesn't matter so much anyway-

You look in the mirror opposite the door and almost can't look away- really too bad but everything has to change, and you don't have to just wait for doors to open for you anymore, right-no-her eyes were not purple, your eyes weren't that color, your hair wasn't that short and you never- well, times like this, never say never.

You used to be so much different, you think, but you can't afford to think like that anymore- not that you have someone to tell you not to, you're a long time gone either way-

Ed screams. You want to yell at him to SHUT UP because why does he always have to make such a scene and why does he always have to get so mad and he's scaring you, but instead you tell him as calmly as you can, not looking whoever's reflection in the mirror that you'll come back soon enough and you get out of there because it's not your turn to be in pain and it's not your turn to wait-

Just RELAX one of you screams, and the other is momentarily soothed, and for a moment you have some sort of memory keeping you where you need to be- separate, maybe, or maybe there's only one and you just need to figure out who that is now- you'll deal with it for now, you always had to deal with it. Some things, good or bad- you suppose it could work for you or against you-never will change.

You keep the hair long and light and the eyes lively and blue and the mouth uneven as your fingernails unconsciously dig into the mark on your leg.


End file.
